Court Clears Ganduje’s Fraud Trial, Rejects Bid to Stop Prosecution

A Kano State High Court has ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the multi-billion naira fraud case against Abdullahi Ganduje, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), rejecting his application to halt the proceedings. The former governor of Kano State had filed a preliminary objection along with seven co-defendants, seeking to dismiss the charges brought against them by the Kano State government.

The court dismissed the application on Tuesday, with presiding judge Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu describing the objections as legally incompetent. She ruled that the charges filed on May 13, 2024, are valid and can proceed to trial.

Ganduje, his wife Hafsat Umar, and others face an 11-count charge that includes allegations of bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds amounting to several billions of naira. The other defendants in the case are Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lasage General Enterprises Limited.

In her ruling, Justice Aliyu clarified that investigative powers are not exclusive to the police and that the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission is legally empowered to handle criminal investigations. She further stated that the trial should proceed even if Ganduje and six other defendants are absent.

The court also issued a summons for the sixth defendant, Lamash Properties Limited, and adjourned the case to July 30 and 31 for hearing.